OSHA Pedestrian Forklift Safety
In a busy warehouse, one might think that forklift accidents are inevitable. However, because they can cause significant injuries to employees and damage to company equipment, it’s crucial that material handling teams do all that they can to prevent these accidents. That’s why OSHA offers valuable insight and guidelines to follow to reduce the number of forklift-related accidents in warehouses and similar spaces.
Here, we’ll explore what maintaining OSHA forklift compliance and OSHA PIT compliance means. We’ll also discuss solutions that keep both pedestrians and forklift operators safe. This article will also highlight completing OSHA forklift checklists– another large part of remaining OSHA compliant—and solutions available to help your team complete them. OSHA compliance is key to reducing not only forklift-related accidents and injuries but also operating costs and improving overall productivity.
OSHA PIT Compliance
OSHA PIT (Powered Industrial Trucks) compliance is a necessary step towards warehouse safety. OSHA provides guidelines to help ensure companies maintain OSHA pedestrian forklift safety as drivers operate lift trucks around the warehouse. OSHA PIT compliance starts with forklift training and certification, understanding hazards, and completing the pre-operational checklist. Taking these steps ensures a safer workforce and warehouse.
Proper Training and Certification
While OSHA does not directly train and certify powered industrial truck operators, it does outline minimum requirements for training and certifications. An operator must be at least 18 years old and certified to remain in OSHA PIT compliance. An employer is responsible for their team’s training program and certification but must meet the minimum OSHA requirements and specifications. For example, OSHA outlines that training must include structured teaching, practical lessons, and assessments. The topics required to be covered include truck operations, steering, and visibility, yet OSHA states that employers can include other information as part of —their program.
Understanding Hazards
Another part of OSHA PIT compliance and OSHA pedestrian forklift safety is understanding the hazards associated with powered industrial truck operations. To keep pedestrians and drivers safe, forklift operators and pedestrian employees should learn about these hazards and solutions that address them. These hazards include working within powered industrial truck blind spots, falling from lift trucks, and crushing hazards. OSHA offers case reports and solutions to mitigate these accidents, injuries, and deaths. Knowledge of these hazards is the first line of defense against forklift-related accidents and catastrophes. Nevertheless, material handling teams can implement automated safety and driver assistance systems to further improve safety around the warehouse.
Completing Pre-Operational Checklists
Another required part of maintaining OSHA PIT compliance is completing pre-operational checklists that ensure drivers and vehicles are prepared for work. Powered industrial truck inspection and maintenance are required topics in training, and checklists allow drivers to identify if a truck needs maintenance or if it's ready to operate. While OSHA requires drivers to complete checklists and offers example questions, companies can build upon these questions to fit their workflow needs. Checklist questions can include engine status, seat belt function, and driving controls. Checklists in OSHA PIT compliance can be extensive, but this ensures that vehicles are ready to be operated safely. Since OSHA doesn’t provide an active checklist tool, there are solutions available, like ELOfleet, that facilitate proactive checklist prompting for drivers to complete.
Training and certification, understanding hazards, and completing pre-operational checklists are required parts of maintaining OSHA PIT compliance and OSHA pedestrian forklift safety—all necessary for improving safety around the warehouse. The OSHA forklift checklist is a particularly important part of training and continued safety, so next, we’ll take a look at a specific tool available to complete these checklists.
ELOfleet: Completing OSHA Forklift Checklists
OSHA forklift checklists are an essential part of any forklift operator’s day. When an operator completes the checklist, they confirm that their vehicle is ready for driving. These checklists also ensure that drivers are up to the task and alert because they require the drivers to check multiple and random forklift functions. At ELOKON, we’ve developed ELOfleet, a smart fleet management solution that also facilitates completing OSHA forklift checklists.
ELOfleet and Pre-Op Checklists
In addition to requiring authorized driver sign-ons and offering valuable fleet KPIs, a major function of ELOfleet is to prompt drivers with required OSHA forklift checklists to improve OSHA pedestrian forklift safety. While the fleet KPIs are available on our web-based dashboard, the system also offers a smartphone app for easy driver accessibility. Your team can customize the questions ELOfleet prompts drivers, including content and question type. We’ve built ELOfleet to simplify OSHA compliance and drastically improve safety through forklift fleet management.
ELOfleet is a powerful fleet management tool that allows teams to oversee fleet status and productivity on top of streamlining OSHA checklists. At ELOKON, we’ve also built other solutions for going above and beyond OSHA forklift compliance to increase safety for pedestrians, drivers, and assets around the company. Next, we’ll explore these ELOKON solutions that safeguard different aspects of the warehouse.